Who were the Tudors?The Tudors were a Welsh-English family
that ruled England from 1485 to 1603. Henry Tudor was the son of Margaret
Beaufort, who was descended from King Edward III through an illegitimate line,
and Edmund Tudor, the son of Princess Catherine of Valois and her second husband,
Owen Tudor. Through Catherine of Valois, Jasper was the half-brother of
the last Lancastrian king, Henry VI. The Yorkist branch of the Plantagenet
dynasty would eventually seize the throne from the incompetent Henry VI,
but their reign ended when Richard III was killed at the battle of Bosworth
Field on 22 August 1485. Henry Tudor then claimed the throne as King Henry
VII. He promptly married Elizabeth of York, daughter of the only successful
Yorkist king, Edward IV, and niece of Richard III.Henry VII and Elizabeth of York's second
son, three of their grandchildren and one of their great-grandchildren, would
rule England as part of the Tudor dynasty. When their rule ended, the throne
passed to the Scottish branch of their family - James I was the great-grandson
of their daughter, Margaret Tudor.

When did they rule
England?The Tudors ruled England from 1485 to
1603.TOP

Why are they
so famous?The Tudors are famous because their
dynasty was full of colorful characters and big events. Henry VIII and his
six wives.... the English reformation.... the tragic tale of Lady Jane Grey....
the great intelligence of Elizabeth I and the artistic accomplishments of
her reign.... During the sixteenth century, England emerged from the medieval
world. It was a time of great change, most notably it marked the end of
the Catholic church in England. There was an attendant rise in nationalism,
a new spirit of confidence and patriotism swept the country. Great naval
exploits began the great English seafaring tradition. Whether as pirates
or officers or explorers, Elizabethan sailors controlled the seas. And besides
the political and religious changes, the Tudors themselves were interesting
and complex people.TOP

What did they
accomplish?The Tudors were able to establish England
as a world power. They did so by positioning their country as a peace-maker
between the dueling powers of France and Spain/the Holy Roman Empire. They
also gave England a century of dynastic stability. With the exception of
Lady Jane Grey's brief reign and Catholic attempts to place Mary, queen of
Scots on Elizabeth I's throne, most Tudor monarchs came to the throne - and
remained on the throne - unchallenged. This lengthy period of peace allowed
England a much-needed respite from the Lancastrian-Yorkist wars. Government
ran more efficiently; royal power replaced that of aristocrats and there was
a uniform system of justice and taxation throughout the country. And, as
always in times of peace, the arts flourished.TOP

Can you give me
a brief history of Tudor England?Tudor England began when Henry VII became
king in 1485. There were five Tudor monarchs, not counting Lady Jane Grey
who ruled for just nine days. The monarchs were, in order, Henry VII (ruled
from 1485 to 1509), his son Henry VIII (ruled from 1509 to 1547), Edward VI,
son of Henry VIII (ruled from 1547 to 1553), Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII
(ruled from 1553 to 1558), and Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII (ruled
from 1558 to 1603.) The most powerful Tudor monarchs were Henry VIII and
Elizabeth I, though she was far more beloved of the English people. Both
were powerful personalities who were able to control their squabbling councilors
and answer the demands of an increasingly vocal Parliament. Under Henry VII,
the English government came to be more stabilized and centralized. Under
Henry VIII, English authority was tested on the Continent, though even military
victories were too costly to maintain. A great victory over Scotland early
in his reign (1513) was most notable; the attendant confusion of its northern
neighbor was beneficial for England. Henry VIII's desperate quest for a
legitimate heir led to the Reformation;
this was the end of the Catholic church's authority in England. The king,
unable to obtain an annulment, declared himself Supreme Head of a new English
church. He also sold or destroyed most church property in England. His son,
Edward VI, was just a child when he inherited the throne but already known
for his piety and serious nature. His councilors continued to strengthen
the Protestant state, but their plans were dashed when Edward died at 16
years of age. An attempt to place his Protestant cousin, Lady Jane Grey,
on the throne instead of the Catholic Princess Mary failed. Mary was declared
queen to great acclaim; she was originally very popular even with the Protestants.
But a policy of religious persecution, a hated marriage with Philip of Spain,
and bad agricultural conditions (as well as the debt she had inherited from
her father and brother) soon made Mary broken-hearted and disliked. She
was succeeded by her half-sister, Elizabeth, who was a religious pragmatist
and passionately devoted to her country. Elizabeth's policy of toleration
was extended to both the religious and political spheres. Above all else,
she avoided extremism at all costs. She often prevaricated over major decisions,
unwilling to commit to an action before all diplomatic attempts failed. This
infuriated many of her advisors, but it also gave her country the religious
and political peace it needed to thrive. Her reign was marked by the great
victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588, the artistic achievements of men
such as Shakespeare and Bacon, and English exploration and colonization of
North America.TOP

Where can I view the Tudor
family tree?Visit the Tudor Genealogy
site. It has a graphic image of the family tree and a more detailed text
genealogy.TOP

What
is the 'Tudor Rose'?The Tudor Rose
is the most famous symbol of the Tudor dynasty. You can see a beautiful example
of it on the main page.
It shows the petals of a red rose enfolding the petals of a white rose.
The red rose was the symbol of the House of Lancaster and the white rose
was the symbol of the House of York. Henry VII was the first Tudor king
and a Lancastrian. He married Princess Elizabeth of York. Their marriage
was the literal union of both houses, symbolized by the new 'Tudor Rose'.
Also, the Wars of the Roses were thus called because they represented the
15th century struggle between Lancaster and York for the throne of England.
TOP

sketch of the future King
Henry VII while he was exiled in France

Was Henry VII
really a miser?Henry VII, the first Tudor king, was
tight-fisted with money. His tax inspectors were notorious and despised.
However, the English treasury was nearly empty after years of wars. Henry
was determined to create a stable government and all governments need money
to run. It became something of an obsession with him, particularly in his
later years. But to his credit, he left a healthy treasury to his son and
heir, Henry VIII - which the latter promptly spent.

Did Elizabeth
of York really hate Henry VII?Many authors have argued that Elizabeth
hated Henry because he took the throne from her family and she was forced
to marry him. But all the contemporary accounts I have read indicate they
had a pleasant enough marriage. Henry VII never had an affair and he genuinely
mourned her death in 1503. Elizabeth's life as queen was primarily domestic.
Her motto 'Humble and Reverent' sums up her character.TOP

Did Prince Arthur
and Katharine of Aragon consummate their marriage?This question was very important during
Henry VIII's reign. He said his marriage to Katharine should be annulled
because she had been his brother's wife. He disregarded the papal dispensation
which had given them permission to wed in 1509 by arguing that the Pope could
not disregard the Bible itself. There are passages in Leviticus which specifically
forbid a man taking his brother's wife as his own. Katharine swore that
she and Arthur had never consummated their marriage, as did her duenna.I have to support Katharine of Aragon
on this one; her marriage to Arthur probably wasn't consummated. They were
both young and Arthur was already very ill. Also, Katharine was deeply pious;
it is difficult to believe she would lie to a papal legate about such a thing.TOP

portrait of King Henry
VIII, c1542

Why did Henry VIII
have six wives?Henry had six wives because....He had the first wife because he was
betrothed to her by his father. He had the second wife because he fell in
love and also needed a legitimate male heir. He had the third wife because
he still needed a male heir. He had the fourth wife because of diplomatic
reasons. He had the fifth wife because he fell in love again. He had the
sixth wife because he was old and sick and grouchy and needed a companion
and nurse who wouldn't give him too much trouble.

Who were the
six wives?They were (in order) Katharine of Aragon,
Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Katharine
Parr.TOP

Did Henry VIII
really murder all his wives?No, only two of the six wives were executed
- the second wife, Anne Boleyn, and the fifth wife, Catherine Howard. His
first wife died of natural causes. His third wife died from childbirth complications.
His fourth wife was divorced and outlived him. And the sixth wife outlived
him as well.TOP

What was the
'King's Great Matter'?This refers to Henry VIII's attempts
to annul his marriage Katharine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. It consumed
several years of his reign. It also involved the dissolution of all Catholic monasteries
in England.TOP

What was the
Reformation?The Reformation refers to a period in
the early 16th century in which the Roman Catholic Church was challenged by
a new form of Christianity collectively known as Protestantism. The Catholic
Church was both a religious and political institution; by the 16th century,
corruption was widespread and many Christians were disappointed in the excesses
and abuses of church leaders.The Reformation began in 1517 when a
German priest named Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the door
of a royal church in Wittenberg. Luther did not want to start a new religion;
he merely wanted to reform the papacy. However, a few years later, Pope Leo
X excommunicated him. Luther's main philosophical idea was 'justification
by faith', the idea that salvation is granted as a gift through God's grace
and not through a priestly intermediary. He also advocated marriage for the
clergy. His ideas were revolutionary and scandalous, but also very popular.
They represented an attempt to bring religious faith back to the people
and end long-standing corruption within the church. But the doctrine of
'justification by faith' also sharply curtailed the church's power over spirituality,
making it a matter of personal debate and belief. As Lady Jane Grey, the
Nine Days' Queen of England, wrote of her Protestant faith in 1554, 'I ground
my faith upon God's word, and not upon the church.... The faith of the church
must be tried by God's word, and not God's word by the church; neither yet
my faith.'In England, the Reformation was mainly
associated with Henry VIII's attempts to annul his marriage to Katharine of
Aragon. When the papacy refused to annul their union due to the political
pressure of Katharine's nephew, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Henry was outraged.
He spent several years attempting to persuade the pope to change his mind.
In the end, he simply declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England
and confiscated all church lands and money in his country. This is known
to history as 'the dissolution of the monasteries.' However, Henry VIII remained
a spiritual Catholic; he disliked Luther's ideas and was never a Protestant
himself. He simply rejected Roman Catholic influence in England. But he
had unwittingly opened up the door to dramatic changes. From 1533 onwards,
the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in England declined while the
new ideas of the Reformation began to slowly gain adherents. The resulting
religious convulsions would consume most of Europe for the entire century.
In Tudor England, the conflict between the old faith and the new consumed
its rulers. Henry VIII was a lapsed Catholic; his successor Edward VI was
a devout Protestant; his successor Mary I was a devout Catholic; her successor
Elizabeth I was, understandably enough, a religious pragmatist. However,
she came into conflict with her Catholic cousin, Mary, queen of Scots.TOP

How did Henry
VIII die?Henry had been in ill health for some
time. He was obese and this led to many complications in his health, such
as fevers, headaches and ulcers. He died on 28 January 1547 after suffering
through a bad fever; he was bled during his illness, which undoubtedly contributed
to his death.

How did Katharine
of Aragon die?Contrary to rumor, Katharine was not
poisoned by Henry VIII. If he had been that ruthless, he would have killed
her years before and saved himself the whole trouble of his 'Great Matter'.
Most historians believe she died of cancer.

Why do you spell
Katharine's name as you do? (And why do you spell Catherine Howard and Katharine
Parr's differently?)
I spell Katharine of Aragon's name as it is spelled on her tomb at Peterborough.
I chose to spell Catherine Howard's with a 'C' because it's spelled thus
by LB Smith in his biography of Henry VIII's fifth queen. Katharine Parr's
name is spelled that way to differentiate her from the wife who preceded
her.
TOP

Was Anne Boleyn
really a witch? Did she have an extra finger? Did she really commit adultery
and have an incestuous affair with her brother? How many times was she pregnant
as Queen?No, Anne Boleyn was not a witch. Yes,
she did have a small growth on one hand which some have called an extra finger.
No, she did not commit adultery or have an incestuous affair with her brother.
Even her enemies admitted the charges were false, simply used as excuses
to execute her. She was pregnant at least three times, but only gave birth
to one living child - a baby girl who would grow up to be Elizabeth I.

Where is Anne
Boleyn buried?Anne Boleyn is buried at the chapel
of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London. She is not buried in a regular
coffin, however, since one was not provided; instead, her body was forced
into an old arrow chest.TOP

miniature portrait of
Jane Seymour by Lucas Horenbout

Did Jane Seymour
die of complications from a Caesarean section?This rumor has been around for a long
time, but it's not true. Jane actually lived several days after the birth
of her son, Edward, and was able to greet well-wishers. But she soon succumbed
to a violent fever and died. Most historians believe she died from puerperal
sepsis, an infection which killed many new mothers. Keep in mind that, even
today, childbirth is a dangerous and bloody business. In the 16th century,
standards of hygiene were very lax. Puerperal sepsis caused severe fevers
and delusions; it was almost always fatal.Henry VIII's sixth wife, Katharine Parr,
would also die from it.

Was Anne
of Cleves really that ugly?It's ironic to me that, of all of Henry's
six wives, the one who is most attractive to modern eyes is the one he divorced
for being a 'Flanders mare'. You can look at portraits of Anne
(one is below this answer) and decide for yourself. It was probably a simple
case of 'chemistry', or a lack thereof. You want to kiss some people and
you don't want to kiss others - why? Henry VIII simply wasn't attracted to
her but that doesn't mean she was ugly; it simply means she wasn't his type.

What happened to Anne of Cleves
after Henry divorced her?Anne remained in England, where she
was treated with great respect and honor. Henry called her his 'sister'
and she was given lots of money and lands in their divorce settlement. She
came to court regularly and enjoyed the life of an independent, wealthy woman.
She also became quite fond of English beer. I think we can agree that she
was probably the happiest of the six wives.TOP

Did Catherine
Howard commit adultery while Queen of England?Probably. You can read her letter to
Thomas Culpeper here.

Where is Catherine
Howard buried?She is buried at the chapel of St Peter
ad Vincula, along with her cousin Anne Boleyn and other victims of Henry VIII.TOP

How many
times was Katharine Parr married?Katharine was married four times. Henry
VIII was her third husband. She had one child with her fourth husband, and
died of puerperal sepsis shortly afterwards.

Was Katharine
Parr imprisoned by Henry VIII?Almost, but her quick wit and instinct
for survival saved her. Religious conservatives at Henry's court attempted
to persuade the king his wife was a heretic. After being lectured one too
many times on religious matters by Katharine, Henry was inclined to agree.
Katharine was warned of the plot and, without letting on to the king, told
him she was grateful to talk about such matters with him so he could guide
her in the correct direction. His ego soothed, the king again favored her.
When guards came to arrest Katharine, Henry personally berated them and
protected her.TOP

What
happened to Henry VIII's sisters, Margaret and Mary Tudor?Margaret married the king of Scotland,
James IV, and upon his death, she married the earl of Angus. Mary wed the
king of France and, upon his death, she wed the duke of Suffolk.

Did Henry
VIII execute a lot of people?He executed a lot of people on trumped-up
charges, or what is commonly termed 'judicial murder'. He was very capricious
and tyrannical, particularly as he grew older. He was also sensitive to other
claims on the Tudor throne; for that reason, he imprisoned or executed most
of his Plantagenet relatives.TOP

Did Henry
VIII have a legitimate reason to divorce Katharine of Aragon?Yes. Other queens were divorced for
a lot less. The annulment would have been granted if Katharine's nephew had
not been Holy Roman Emperor. His position gave him great influence over papal
policy.TOP

How did
Edward VI die?Edward died of tuberculosis. Recently,
historians and doctors suggested that it may have been complicated by measles.

Did Lady
Jane Grey love her husband?No, quite the contrary. By all accounts,
she disliked Guildford and refused to have him crowned king, though she appreciated
his newfound maturity and composure upon their imprisonment.TOP

Where is Lady Jane Grey buried?At the chapel of St Peter ad Vincula,
alongside Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. As at Anne's execution, there
was no coffin provided for Jane's corpse. Her body lay beside the block for
several hours before someone finally found a coffin.TOP

portrait of Princess Mary
Tudor in 1544, by Master John

Why is Mary
I called 'Bloody Mary'?Several hundred Protestants were burned
as heretics during her reign. Hence, she is called 'Bloody Mary'.

Was Mary
I ever pregnant during her marriage to Philip of Spain?No.She thought she was pregnant - she hoped she was -
but it was probably an 'hysterical pregnancy'. Her menstrual cycle was always
irregular and she had a distended stomach, possibly from a tumor.TOP

What
were Mary's last words?It is rumored she said that if her body
was cut open, the words 'Calais' and 'Philip' would be found engraved upon
her heart. It is an apocryphal story. Calais was the last English outpost
on the continent, lost during her reign, and Philip was the beloved husband
who had abandoned her.TOP

Where
is Mary I buried?In Westminster Abbey, beside her half-sister,
Elizabeth I.TOP

Was Elizabeth
I truly a great queen - or did her ministers do all the work?She was truly a great queen. Though
she had good ministers, chief among them William Cecil, Elizabeth - like her
father - was always in charge.

How smart
was Elizabeth I?Very smart. She was undoubtedly one
of the most (if not the most) intelligent monarchs to rule England. She was
always a dedicated scholar and genuinely loved to study and learn. Her tutor
Roger Ascham, and indeed everyone who met her, recognized and commented upon
her intelligence. Of course, this was believed to be a 'masculine' trait
and only acceptable because of her special position as queen.TOP

Did Elizabeth
ever plan to marry anyone?Probably not. She used marriage negotiations
as political tools, and she personally loved Robert Dudley. But she was never
enthusiastic about the prospect of marriage. And who can blame her? After
the disastrous examples of her father and half-sister, Elizabeth had no reason
to equate marriage with personal happiness. She also realized that any marriage
would end her authority as queen in her own right.TOP

Was Elizabeth
really a 'Virgin Queen'? Did she have secret lovers and/or children?She was probably a virgin. It's difficult
to imagine any secret affair remaining secret for long. And birth control
was tricky and untrustworthy in the 16th century. She knew that any affair
would risk a pregnancy - and that would destroy her life. Furthermore, it
is worth noting Elizabeth's own strict and methodical character, and the disdain
she showed for women who could not control their feelings or appreciate the
consequences of their actions. Consider her opinions of her two cousins,
Mary, queen of Scots and Catherine Grey. Both rushed into hasty, inappropriate
and passionate unions and both had disastrous results. Elizabeth looked down
upon them both, remarking that they would do well to remember their high
positions in life and its attendant responsibilities.She lamented her lost opportunities
for love and a family of her own. But she was queen and it was an exalted
and lonely position.No, she never had children. It's fun
to read theories that she was the mother of Bacon - or Shakespeare - or was
even Shakespeare himself.... but could she really keep a pregnancy secret?
Foreign ambassadors paid her servants to learn every intimate detail of
her life. Upon hearing some gossip about her relationship with Dudley, Elizabeth
observed that a thousand eyes were always upon her so how could she do anything
scandalous?TOP

Why is
the 1588 battle with the Spanish Armada so famous?Because England was a small nation with
a little navy and they were facing the greatest power in the world. And they
defeated it, with help from Mother Nature. It marked the beginning of England's
mastery of the seas. The great history of the English navy began, as did
serious English exploration and colonization.TOP

Why are there
so many portraits of Elizabeth I?Because she ruled for such a long time
(45 years) and because she understood the value of propaganda. Her portraits
were iconographic; they represented the queen in all her majesty, triumphant
and beautiful. They symbolized the confidence and pride of her nation. It
was also a sign of loyalty to have portraits of the queen in your house.
Many nobles commissioned portraits, or copies of official portraits.

How long
was Mary, queen of Scots a prisoner in England?Mary was imprisoned from 1568 to 1587.
She was just 25 years old when she arrived in England and 44 years old when
she was executed.TOP

portrait of Mary, queen
of Scots, c1558

Are Mary,
queen of Scots and Mary Tudor the same person?No. Mary Tudor was Henry VIII's sister.
Mary, queen of Scots was the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's
sister.TOP

Why did
Elizabeth I have Mary, queen of Scots killed?Because she was conniving to have Elizabeth
assassinated and herself made queen of England. In fairness to Mary, she
only began plotting after being imprisoned for several years and it was clear
she would never be released.TOP

Was Mary,
queen of Scots guilty of the crimes for which she was executed?Yes, probably. She even admitted to
plotting against Elizabeth, but said it was only to gain her freedom.TOP

Where is
Mary, queen of Scots buried?In Westminster Abbey. Her body was
moved there by her son, James, who became king of England in 1603.TOP

Why is Mary, queen of Scots's last name
sometimes spelled 'Stewart' and other times 'Stuart'?In Scotland, her family name was spelled
'Stewart'. However, Mary was half-French and spent her formative years in
France. Therefore, she adopted the French spelling of Stewart, which was
'Stuart'. (She also signed her name 'Marie', which was the French spelling
of her first name.)TOP

Why did
Elizabeth I leave her throne to James I of Scotland?James was Elizabeth's closest male relative.
He was part Tudor as well, being the great-grandson of Margaret Tudor, eldest
daughter of the first Tudor king, Henry VII.TOP

What
dynasty followed the Tudors?The Stuart dynasty followed the Tudors,
so called because their family name was Stuart/Stewart.TOP

Does this
website have a search engine?Yes, it does. Click here to visit
the Tudor England search engine.TOP

I am quoting
from this website for my paper / report. How do I correctly cite the source?The correct format is based upon both
the Turabian/Chicago and MLA styles.Here is an example:Hanson, Marilee. "Contemporary Descriptions
of Anne Boleyn." EnglishHistory.net. 2004. http://englishhistory.net/tudor/annedesc.html
(11 April 2004).Please note: you must use
the year and date you read the source.TOP

When
was the site last updated?
Please visit the Site
News page for the last update. I don't post routine maintenance there,
only significant additions to the website.TOP